D e a r   C o s t a   R i c a ,

  Thank you. 

  When I was supposed to be in the middle of rural Africa, the Lord knew I'd be right here. Sipping on coffee, calling home, and writing this blog. Boy, am I thankful the Lord knows better than I do. That He is the writer of my story. That He is the author of my life. He writes in color, with intentionality flowing from every line. 

  I remember when I first got to Costa Rica and I was in this new home, a mile down the road from the rest of my squad. Everything felt new and slightly uncomfortable. But, there was one day that I sat in my beautiful front yard that looked out at the mountains, and I heard water trickling from behind the trees that sat in front of our house. There was a small little waterfall that I could hear from our yard. I sat against the gate and cried with the Lord. He knows the little things, like the way I love waterfalls because I see Him in them. 

  Everywhere I walk, I see purple flowers blooming. The Lord knows I find joy in purple flowers because it's the rarest naturally occurring color in nature. There's this tree I walk past almost everyday that has purple flowers. How sweet of the Lord to put me in a country with so much purple. I love seeing the Lord in the mundane. He shows up a lot here in the simple little things. 

  The Lord has shown up in more than pretty flowers and waterfalls. Within the first two weeks of being here, the Lord asked me to dance with Him. At first I was a little confused, but I knew I needed to write it down. Over time the Father has revealed so much from that little gesture. If you didn’t know, the ministry we work with has a dance studio. We have been lucky enough to join quite a few classes. I’ve never taken a dance class a day in my life. At first it was awkward, and uncomfortable. I was a little afraid, intimated even, to dance next to all these amazing dancers. If I'm honest, I still am a little intimidated by it. I once took a freestyle class, and I got to express myself in whatever way I wanted. I got to feel emotion through letting my body flow to the music. It felt so freeing to let my body just be, to let it move in whatever way it chose to. Then, more recently the Lord showed me these visions of me in this meadow like scenery. He showed me that I get to rest in that place. I had a lot of people who had the same vision of me, but I was dancing in freedom. The Lord was asking me to dance so we could be more intimate, so we could fall deeper in love, so I could walk in freedom, so I could do something a little scary and uncomfortable, so I could safely express myself, so I could rest in Him. 

  Thank you Costa for teaching me to dance with my Father. Thank you for more intimacy. Thank you for deeper connections with Abba, and other people. Thank you for giving me people who feel like home, who feel like family. Thank you for giving me people who make me laugh until my stomach is physically aching. For people that are patient with my horrible spanish, and are willing to teach me. For people who cheer me on and encourage me. For people that fight for my dreams. For people that hear from the Lord so clearly. For people that ask the hard questions, and people who aren’t afraid to answer the hard questions. For people that are eagerly ready for what Abba wants to do. For people who push me to walk in confidence as a daughter of the king. For people that invite worship into the normal. For people that invite me into their homes to dine with them. Who chose me. What a gift it is to know this community. To call these people my brothers and sisters. Thank you Lord for every single person you have so graciously put in front of my eyes. Who I have had the divine blessing of sitting with. Thank you for every person that I have been so graciously allowed to sit in the presence of. Each person has taught me something new. Each person has given me a deeper capacity to love. 

  Thank you ‘Til He Returns’ for loving each person in my squad so well. Thank you for discipling us through the hard things. Thank you for being willing to know us. Thank you for going deeper. You have given me the room to grow deeper roots with my Father. You have given me friendships that I pray last into eternity. You have stirred up my love for people, for dancing, for teaching, and for serving. 

  Costa Rica, you have been completely unexpected, yet so sweet. I wouldn’t trade my time with you for the World. Thank you Lord for really hard goodbyes. Thank you for bringing home here. Thank you for more family. I pray for kingdom to be brought to Costa Rica. I pray for hearts to be opened to the fullness of the Fathers love. I pray for joy and truth over this country. Lord keep sending revival. Thanks God. Until next time Costa Rica. xx

Love,

Sydney Spears 

P.s. Abba, I want to dance with you too!!

P.s.s my photos won't upload right now, so catch a costa photo drop soon!:)